Baal

The term "Baal" originates from the West Semitic root bʿl, meaning "lord" or "owner." It appears in numerous ancient Near Eastern cultures, including Ugaritic, Phoenician, and Hebrew contexts, often as a title for supreme deities, first appearing in texts from the 2nd millennium BCE.

Baal or Adoii (Adoiiai) was a phallic jrod. "Wlio shall ascend unto the hill (the high place) of the Lord; who shall stand in the place of his Kadushii {q.v.)f" {Psalms xxiv. 3.) The "circledance" performed by King David round the ark, was the dance prescribed by the Amazons in the Mysteries, the dance of the daughters of Shiloh {Judges xxi., et seq.) and the same as tlie leaping of the prophets of Baal (I. Kings xviii). He was named Bcud-Tzi phon, or god of the crypt (Exodus) and Scih, or the pillar {phallus), because he was the same as Amnion (or Baal-llammou) of Egypt, called "the hidden god". Typhon, called Set, w^io was a great god in Egypt during the early dynasties, is an aspect of Baal and Ammon as also of Siva, Jehovah and other gods. Baal is the all-devouring Sun, in one sense, the fiery Moloch. Babil Mound fChald. II, h.). Tlie site of the Temple of Bel at Iljihyloii. Bacchus (dr. I. hLxoterically and sui)erfieially the god of wine and the vintage, and of licentiousness and joy; but the esoteric meaning of this personification is more abstruse and i)liilosoi)liical. He is the Osiris of Egypt, and his life and significance belong to the same group as the other solar deities, all "sin-bearing," killed and resurrected; e.g., as Dionysos or Atys of Phrygia (Adonis, or the Syrian Tammuz), as Ausonius, Baldur {q.v.), etc., etc. All these were put to death, mourned for, and restored to life. The rejoicings for Atys took i)lace at the Ililaria on the "pagan" Easter, i\Iarcli 15th. Ausonius, a form of Bacchus, was slain "at the vernal equinox, March 21st, and rose in three days". Tammuz, the double of Adonis and Atys, was mourned by the women at the "grove" of his name "over Bethlehem, where tiie infant Jesus cried", says St. Jerome. Bacchus is murdered and his mother collects the fragments of his lacerated body as Isis does those of Osiris, and so on. Dionysos lacchus, torn to shreds by the Titans. Osiris, Krishna, all descended into Hades and returned again. Ast

Blavatsky's definition, though rooted in a specific historical and theological context, points towards a broader, archetypal understanding of "Baal." The term, meaning "lord," was applied to numerous deities across the ancient Near East, often associated with storm, fertility, and kingship. This multiplicity of "Baals" suggests not a single entity but a conceptual role, a divine function that was understood differently in various locales. The association with phallic imagery and fertility rites, as hinted at by Blavatsky, connects Baal to the primal forces of creation, the generative energies that sustain life. This resonates with Mircea Eliade's concept of the hierophany, the manifestation of the sacred in the ordinary world, where natural phenomena like storms and the fertility of the land were seen as direct encounters with the divine.

The "all-devouring Sun" and "fiery Moloch" aspects noted by Blavatsky point to the dual nature of such powerful deities. They represent not only life-giving abundance but also the potential for destruction, the untamed forces that can bring drought, famine, or cataclysm. This duality is a recurring theme in mythology and esotericism, mirroring the psychological tension between creation and annihilation, order and chaos. The "hidden god" aspect, linking Baal to Ammon, further suggests an esoteric dimension, a divine presence that is both manifest and veiled, accessible through ritual and inner contemplation. The ancient world, through figures like Baal, sought to articulate the profound mysteries of existence, the cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth, and the potent forces that govern the cosmos.

The practice associated with Baal, as alluded to in biblical accounts, often involved public rituals on "high places," suggesting a communal engagement with these powerful forces. The "circledance" and "leaping" described by Blavatsky evoke ecstatic states, attempts to align human consciousness with divine energy. While these practices may appear alien or even disturbing to a modern sensibility, they speak to a fundamental human need to connect with something larger than oneself, to participate in the cosmic drama. The challenge for the modern seeker is to find analogous pathways, ways to apprehend the profound, often awe-inspiring, forces that shape our reality without resorting to literal interpretations of ancient cultic practices.

RELATED_TERMS: El, Moloch, Dagon, Asherah, Yam, Hadad, Fertility Cults, Archetypes